Summary: Research shows a strong link between impulsivity, boredom, and stress, with highly impulsive individuals reacting more to boredom by releasing more of the stress hormone cortisol. This physiological response…
Tag: stress
Creative arts therapy programs can help health care workers dance, write and draw their way through burnout and on-the-job stress
Doctors and nurses seldom learn in school how to tell a family that their loved one is not going to survive. Yet health care professionals face the immense burden of…
Knowingly Taking Placebos Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Summary: Researchers have discovered that nondeceptive placebos—placebos given with the full knowledge that they are placebos—can effectively manage stress, even when administered remotely. In a two-week randomized controlled trial, participants…
Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Stress Levels
Summary: Following the Mediterranean diet versus the traditional Western diet might make you feel less stressed, according to new research. The findings suggest that people can lower their perception of…
Hurts to Think: The Unpleasant Truth About Mental Effort
Summary: New research suggests that mental exertion is often associated with unpleasant feelings such as stress and irritation, challenging the notion that people enjoy mentally demanding tasks. A meta-analysis of…
Dogs Detect Human Stress Smell, Affecting Their Mood and Choices
Summary: New research finds that dogs exposed to human stress odors make more ‘pessimistic’ choices, indicating a negative emotional state. The study shows how human stress affects dogs’ learning and…
Mindfulness Improves Sleep and Reduces Stress
Summary: A new study reveals that mindfulness helps improve sleep quality and reduce stress by focusing on the present and minimizing negative thoughts. The study tracked 144 nurses over two…
Do hormonal contraceptives increase depression risk? A neuroscientist explains how they affect your mood, for better or worse
More than 85% of women – and more than 300 million people worldwide at any given time – use hormonal contraceptives for at least five years of their life. Although…
Stress and Trauma Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s
Summary: Researchers linked midlife stress and childhood trauma to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and neuroinflammation. Analyzing 1,290 volunteers, researchers found that stressful life events, especially during midlife, correlate…
How much stress is too much? A psychiatrist explains the links between toxic stress and poor health − and how to get help
COVID-19 taught most people that the line between tolerable and toxic stress – defined as persistent demands that lead to disease – varies widely. But some people will age faster…
